


Launching Out Too Soon

by medusa20



Series: The Galveston Chronicles [3]
Category: Big Bang Theory
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-24
Updated: 2011-08-24
Packaged: 2017-10-23 00:23:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/244224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/medusa20/pseuds/medusa20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The third installment in the Galveston series.</p><p>The summer is getting hotter but Penny and Sheldon have reached an impasse until she spends some time with her new neighbor Kurt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Launching Out Too Soon

**Launching Out Too Soon**

 

“It’s _so_ hot.”

 

“It’s Texas.”

 

“We are completely in the shade and it’s _still_ a million degrees!”

 

“If it were, as you say, a million degrees, we would be dead.  The human body is not designed to withstand such extremes in temperature.  We would be suffering from throbbing headaches, an inability to…”

 From the other side of the tree trunk, Penny makes faces in time with Sheldon’s physiology lecture.

 

“Are you listening to me?” Sheldon’s voice holds more than its usual note of irritation.

 Penny leans back against the tree trunk.  She is pretending not to notice that their pinkies are overlapping.  Ever since Sheldon taught her how to shoot an arrow (she mastered it as quickly as he did much to her amusement and his annoyance), there had been more and more of these moments. Their knuckles would brush as they walked to the corner store or while sitting on Penny’s front porch swing, their ankles would cross as their legs swayed lazily to maintain momentum.  Once, Sheldon caught her ponytail in his hand - he tried to pass it off as if he were trying to get her to change direction except she felt the slow running of her hair through his long fingers.

 

She wants to push her fingers through his but the prickles to her scalp that come when his pinkie occasionally tightens over hers are a delicious sensation that she doesn’t want to end.  In some ways, she wishes Sheldon were more like Kurt - the boy who moved into the house behind her.  He called out Penny over the fence separating their yards, asking her what there was to do in this, “podunk town anyway?”

 

Penny almost told him about the trees to climb, the tire swing over the creek, the raccoons to torment and the insects to classify but Kurt’s broad shoulders and mocking expression stopped her.

 

“Not a damn thing,” Penny answered, “‘cept football.” 

 

That brought a smile to his cold handsome face, “Awesome. Do you like football?”

 

“Uh-huh,” Penny nodded enthusiastically though she’d never watched a game in her life.

 

“You’ll have to come watch me play.  You can be my own cheerleader.”

 

Penny felt her cheeks turn red, “Cool!  I mean, I will if I’m not busy,” she faltered.  Thoughts of Sheldon suddenly filled her mind.  He loathed the game but was forced to watch it by his bully of a father. That and church were the only reasons Penny didn’t see him on Sundays.

 

Kurt raised an eyebrow, “See yah around then, Penny.” He turned back toward his house. Penny caught herself waving goodbye half-heartedly but he didn’t look back.

 

Penny wasn’t busy the next day when Kurt rang her doorbell to ask if she wanted to go to the park. Sheldon was enduring his weekly “penitential rite” and Penny’s family was not the church-going kind (Mary Cooper had tried more than once to get Penny to come to the First Church of the Revelation, but Sheldon always shook his head so violently, Penny was afraid he’d get brain damage, so she politely declined).  She was supposed to meet him later since his father was “on a bender” and hadn’t been home all week so no football game to tolerate.

 

“Busy?” Kurt asked when she came to the door; she smiled, ran upstairs to put on lip gloss and hollered to her mother that she was going to the park.

 

As they walked, Penny told him about school - which teachers were cool and which were not, the nice kids and the jerks and to never eat the macaroni and cheese in the cafeteria.  It was a real nice to be the one who got to direct the conversation for a change.

 

“Let’s go on the swings,” Penny suggested, starting off at run but slowing down when she realized Kurt was not racing her for the one red swing.  She glanced over her shoulder and found he was following her at an easy pace. She sat gingerly on the red swing - funny, it didn’t feel any different now that she didn’t have to race for it.

 

“You swing; I’ll push,” Kurt said when he reached her.  His fingers braced against her waist and propelled her forward.  When she swung back, his hands slid around her waist before pushing her; Penny felt her stomach take a dip.

 

But, being at the park without Sheldon, felt strange to her. Kurt was so quiet - he didn’t describe the physics needed to get a swing to move. When she hopped off and went to the slide, Kurt didn’t know the different ways to angle his hips to influence the speed of descent.  He didn’t race her across the monkey bars either - he did chin-ups while Penny sat perched across them.

 

She told herself she was having fun and, in some ways, she was.

 

Her eyes widened in surprise when Kurt came out of the corner store and offered her the bottle of Coke he bought and then took an equally long swig from the same bottle.  They headed back to her house.

 

“Thanks for hanging out with me,” Penny smiled when they reached the corner of her street and his.

 

“It was fun,” Kurt said, “I think it’s cool that you still “play” at the park.”

 

Penny’s face turned beet-red and she ducked her head to hide it.

 

“Hey, Penny,” Kurt’s voice was soft, “I was just kidding.” He bent his head to try to see her face; she looked up.

 

“Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kurt said before swooping in to kiss her.  It was a hard kiss and a little sloppy, wet- really nothing like she thought her first kiss would be - and over before she could register what happened.  Kurt walked down his street, leaving Penny there with her mouth agape.

 

“Penny?’ Her mother called from the kitchen when she opened the door, “did Sheldon catch up with you?”

 

“Sheldon?” Penny frowned as she came into the kitchen.  Her fingers touched her lips still humming from Kurt’s kiss.

 

“He stopped by,” her mother was making a pie, “I guess you two had plans?  I told him you went to the park with the new Hudson boy.”

 

Penny slumped against the refrigerator. _Crap._

“Penny?” Sheldon’s voice brings her back. “Are you ready?”

 

“For what?” Daydreaming has made her forget why they are sitting under this tree.  Sheldon gets to his feet, brushes off the seat of his plaid shorts and stares up at the tree.  He walks from his side of the trunk to stand over her.

 

“Yesterday,” He clears his throat. “You were supposed to meet me here because we were going to climb this tree. I’m finally ready.”

 

Penny tilts her head up at him- she’d been trying to get Sheldon to climb this tree (the biggest one in the woods behind his house) since she had met him.  He always stalled claiming fear of heights, the trunk showed signs of rot at the bottom and what if it fell while climbing?  He didn’t want to get his Tuesday pants dirty - a million excuses.

 

“And you’re ready today?”  Penny is still sitting.

 

“Technically, I was ready yesterday.” Sheldon corrects primly before lacing his fingers to give her a boost up. This is his one concession to physical contact - Penny is allowed to put her foot in his joined hands and scramble to the first branch then reach down for him.  She pulls off her Keds (climbing is easier in her bare feet) and places her foot in his palm.  Sheldon looks down at her pink, sparkly nail polish.  His hands are so soft, cupping her foot like that.

 

“What changed, Sheldon?”  Penny can tell he’s admiring the shape of her leg.

 

“I don’t understand the question.” Sheldon replies but doesn’t meet her eyes.

 

“Why are you finally ready to tackle this tree?”

 

“Up you go!”  He presses his arms up; Penny grabs the branch over her head but can’t pull herself up. Her legs flail until one foot lands on Sheldon’s shoulder giving her the leverage she needs.

 

“Oof!” Sheldon exclaims, but Penny is already seated in a notch between branches and reaching down to him.  His hands twine around her wrist; Penny wraps her other arm around the trunk to brace herself.

 

“Don’t let go, Penny,” Sheldon’s voice trembles.

 

“Just get up here,” Penny grits her teeth and pulls. For someone as skinny as a rail, Sheldon weighs a ton!

 

She hears his feet scrape along the bark and the puffs of breath that escape him. Suddenly, the tension in her arm lessens and, when she opens her eyes, Sheldon is seated on the branch opposite her.

 

“Hey,” she smiles.

 

“Hey,” he smiles back.

 

“Wanna keep going?  I bet we can see the high school from the top.”  Penny evaluates the branches above her head, “I can’t believe we’re going to be freshman…”

 

“Let’s go!” Sheldon cries and begins to scale the branches.

 

“Sheldon!” Penny’s voice is full of surprise, “What is wrong with you today?”

 

“Last one up is a rotten egg,” his voice calls down to her.  Penny begins hauling herself up branch by branch but she can’t catch up to Sheldon who, apparently, is channeling spider monkey this afternoon.  Finally, she sees his feet stop on a branch just above her.  She threads herself through the boughs and comes up beside him. Her hands are grimy and she can feel the sting of a new scrape on her shin.  Penny was wrong - they can’t see the high school but they can make out the goalposts on the football field.

 

“There’s Meemaw’s house,” Sheldon points quickly to her right but Penny misses it.  He twists slightly, “Your house is there and I can see the roof of Kurt’s house even if you can’t.”

 

Penny’s eyes widen when Sheldon mentions her neighbor so casually.

 

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” She whispers.

 

Sheldon is facing forward again.  Penny realizes what has been odd about today - he hasn’t looked at her. Not once.

 

“Which part?” Sheldon’s voice is strained, “Forgetting about me or kissing Kurt on the street corner?”

 

Penny’s mouth opens and she wants to say ‘all of it’ except Sheldon is still talking.

 

“You should know that I won’t be going to the high school in September.  I will be attending college.  I’m leaving Wednesday.”

 

Penny almost loses her grip on her supporting branch but Sheldon is indifferent to her reaction.

 

“I tested out. I told my mother if I had to spend one more year suffering through material I mastered before the age of five, I was going to get the evolution of man tattooed on my body.”

 

Penny still hasn’t pulled in enough air to speak.  Sheldon is talking faster and faster.

 

“So, I took a whole battery of tests in June and passed with flying colors. Naturally, I was offered a scholarship, so University of Texas, here I come.”  He pauses in his diatribe to finally look at her. “Go Longhorns!” He finishes weakly.

 

Penny can’t say anything.  She closes her eyes for a second and begins to climb down the tree.

 

“Penny!  Penny!  Penny!  Where are you going?”

 

She doesn’t answer; her feet slip half way down and for a moment she is dangling until she wraps her legs around the trunk and resumes her descent.  Anger, sadness and unbearable loss propel her away from a friend whose brought her nothing but hurt lately.  How could he leave her?  How could he not tell her he was leaving until now?

 

She hits the ground hard enough to send jolts of pain up her legs.  Penny begins hobbling away when there is the snap of branches and leaves behind her.

 

“AHH!” Sheldon lands on his back on the ground with a thud.

 

“Oh my God!” Penny cries and runs back to him.  What if he cracked his skull or broke his back? “Sheldon!  Are you okay?”  She kneels beside him.

 

“Just got the wind knocked out of me, that’s all.”  He sits up and shakes his head.

 

“You and me both,” Penny mutters.

 

“You’re mad,” Sheldon observes.

 

Penny looks at her genius friend. He always did remind her of an exotic bird trapped here in Galveston.  She knew at some point they would part company - she just hoped it wouldn’t be so soon.

 

“You still suck at emotions.” Penny gives him a half smile, “Part of me knows it’s the best thing and I should be happy for you.”

 

“But?”

 

“I’m going to miss you,” she blurts.  “You’re…you’re…” Sheldon’s face is inches from her; his eyes are still the bluest thing she has ever seen, and she’s been wondering if his lips are as soft as they look since June.

 

Penny leans in and presses her mouth to his. Sheldon lets out a little squeak and she waits for him to pull away in horror. Instead, he tilts his head (the wrong way at first) and Penny leans in even more.  Their hands twine together.  Inexperienced as they both are, somehow opening her mouth just a little feels right and the sensation when Sheldon does the same makes her grip his forearms to keep her upright.

 

Sheldon breaks first; their foreheads are pressed together. His arms are wrapped around her waist.

 

“This is goodbye isn’t it?” Penny doesn’t bother to make it a question.

 

Sheldon nods.

 

“You leave first then,” she tells him, “it’s what you’re doing anyway.”

 

Sheldon shakes his head, struck dumb by the emotions she can see cascading in his eyes.

 

Penny disentangles herself from his embrace.  She stands so the tree’s trunk blocks him from her view.  She begins to count to one hundred.

 

Penny hears him leave before she gets to twenty.

 


End file.
